Mud trap drilling bit



Sept. 14, A K FLYNN MUD TRAP DRILLING BIT Filed Jan. 12, 1942 w a m 6 i 4 M dd t v w w wflw 3noentor FL YNN ALI/V K @CMW attorney Patented Sept. I l, 1943 UNITED STAT PATENT OF-Fl I g 2,329,461" g g lMUD TRAPDRILLING BIT 1 Alvy K. Flynn, Delano, Calif;

Application 1mm 12, 1942, Seria l N01. 426,427

3 Claims. (01. 255-64) This invention relates to well drilling tools of the cable type and particularly pertains to a mud trap drilling bit.

In the drilling of wellsit is of course common practice to suspend a drilling bit upon a cable and to lower it into the well bore, after which the bit is raised and dropped to penetrate the earth formation and to form a drilled hole. In such. tools it is desirable to provide means within. which the cuttings may be entrapped and thereafter withdrawn from the wellbore in the manner accomplished by a well bailer. It is the principal object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a drilling bit structure associated with a bailing chamber, which chamber is fitted with a normally open closure adapted to be manipulated from the top of the well to close the bottom of the chamber, and to entrap the cuttings and other material whichmay accumulate within the chamber, the structure being simple in construction and easy to operatel i The present invention contemplates the provision of a cylindrical bailing chamber or housing having a hinged trap closure at the bottom thereof normally held open and released by manipulation of the cable, the lower end of said bailer housing carrying digging and cutting bits by which a drilling operation is performed.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation showing the 1 structure in position for drilling operations.

Fig. 2 is a view through'the drilling bit as seen on the line 2-2 of Fig, 1 andshows the operation of the bailer drilling tool in-latching the bailer in its open position. I

Fig. 3 is a view in central vertical section similar tothat of Fig. 2showing the manner in which the closure for the bailer is released by manipulation of a.v cable and material is entrapped within the bailer.

Fig. 4 is a view in end elevation showing the cutting bits as viewed in the direction of the arrows 44 in'Fig. 3."

Referring more particularly tothe drawing, I indicates the cable of a drilling structure. The lower end of the cable is fitted within a thirnble II carrying spaced arms l2. Disposed between these arms is a link I3. The link I3 is formed at its upper end with a bore M which receives'a horizontally disposed connecting pin IS. The link is elongated and is formed with an elongated slot l6 which receives a pin l1; The pin 11 is secured between the vertical arms I8 and l9'ofby the use of cable'tools the bailer structure 20. These armsextend par; allel to each other and .are spaced apart 'soithat.

the pin I! may move freely along theslot 16 for a purpose to be hereinafter explained. .Formed on the lower end of the link I3 isa hammer 2|. for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

The bailer structure 20 includes an. outer cylindricalbody 22 formed with a central bailer.

chamber 23. The upper end of the bailer chamber 23 is open. The lower end of thebailer chamber is normally open and is formedwith a substantially annular seat 24 which is secured in position and has a central opening 2 5.through. it. The opening 25 is of relatively large diameter; This opening may be closed by a, closure plate 26.;

The plate 26 isformed near one of its marginal edges with a slotted opening 21 through which a hinge hook 28 extends. This hook, as; shown in Fig 2 of the. drawing, is secured to the ring 24 and extends upwardly thereabove; ;The POI-.1 tion of the hook which engages the closure 2G-is1 rounded and thus forms a hinge pin 29" for the.

so that the free end of the closure 26-may swing against it. This stop bar is also positioned in a manner to offset it-from the center of the hinge pin 29 so that when. the closure 26-is released itwill be overbalanced and will tend to swing-by gravity to. its closed position; The stopbar. 30

is provided with a tapered face 3| against which a similarly tapered. face'32on the closure :26 rests when theclosureis latched. The latch means for the closure comprises a flat springv arm. 33 which passes beneath a stirrup'34 secured to'lthe side wall of the housing 22. The upper end of the latch'spring 33 is formed with an eye 35: which receives a, pin 36. The pin :36 is carried by a trip rod 31. .This rod lies parallel to the side wallof the housing or barrel .22.and reciprocates through bearing .elements 38 and .39.- The upper endof the rod 31 is-pivoted at .40 to, a trip lever 4 l .The trip lever M .is mounted on'a pivot'pln 42 extendingtransversely of the panel to the free end 43 ofv the trip lever;

rod 31 will be drawn upwardly; I;

This is; .accom- The lower end of the latch spring 33 is fitted with a hook 44. The stirrup 34 and the stop bar are so positioned with relation to each other that when the spring 33 is moved to its The lower end of the barrel 22 may be fitted with any desired type of drill bit or cutter. As

here shown, a plurality of wedge-shaped bits 46 are secured around the outer circumference of the barrel 22 at the lower end thereof. These against the outer face of the barrel 22 and a square shoulder 4'! which rests against the end" (i the barrel. The bits may be secured in position in any manner, although in the present in-' stance they are indicated as being welded. The outer faces of the bits taper outwardly, and their inner faces, as indicated at "46, also taper outwardly but converge with the outer faces to form V-shaped cutting edges. The cutting edges will lie along a circle concentric with the longitudinal axis of the barrel but of a larger diameter.

Disposed radially at the end of the barrel 22 are cutter blades 49, the inner ends of which terminate short of the center of the barrel, thus providing a clearance space 50. Extending diametrically across the center of the barrel 22 and associated with the radial cutter blades 49 is a continuous cutter blade 5|. The cutter blades 46 and 5| all have tapered cutting edges terminating in a common plane lying transversely of the end of the barrel 22. The blades 49 and 5| occur between contiguous bits 46, as particularly shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing. These various elements may be welded together, as indicated at 52, and are all welded to the end of the barrel. -It is to be understood that other means of securing the bits and blades in position may be employed if desired.

Referring to Fig. 2 of the drawing, it will be seen that a tool 53 is provided for the purpose of latching the closure 26. This tool is a tonglike structure having handles 54 and 55. The handle 54carries a latch arm '56 and the handle bits have an upwardly extending portion lying the arrow b in Fig. 3 of the drawing.

.. the closure 26.

tion shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. The hook 59 then extends upwardly to engage the hooked end 44 of the latch spring 33 which is resting against the stop of the lock bar. The enlarged end 6| of the fulcrum lever 51 of the tool is then positioned over the end of a bit 46, and while the handle is held firmly the handle 54 is swung in the direction of the arrow a, as shown in Fig. 2, with the result that the hooked end portion 56 of the latch lever 56 will engage the hooked end 54 of the latch spring 33 and flex the latch spring outwardly in the direction of This motion is continued until the latch spring clears the stop *bar 30 and the end of the closure 26. During this time the fulcrum lug will bear against the under face of the closure 26 and hold the closure 26 flrmly against the stop bar 30. While the spring is in this outwardly flexed position the handle 55 is swung in the direction of the arrow 0. This will pull the fulcrum arm 56 downwardly in the direction of the arrow d, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing, and will dispose the end of the latch spring 33 over the edge of It will be seen that the stirrup 34 will restrain outward movement of the flexed spring 33 and cause it to yieldably hold the closure 26 against the stop bar 30. It will be also evident that asthe latch spring 33 is drawn downwardly from its seated position against the stop bar 30, as shown in Fig. 3, to its latched position as shown in Fig. 2, the trip rod 31 will be drawn downwardly through the guide bearings 3'6 and '39 .and the end 43 of the trip lever will be swung upwardly in the direction of the arrow '6, as shown in Fig. 2. The tool 53 may then be removed and the mud trap drilling bit may then be lowered into the well for drilling operations.

55 carries a fulcrum arm 51. These two structures are pivoted together at 56. The latch arm 56 is formed with a hook 59 at its free end and carries-a fulcrum lug 66 adjacent thereto. The fulcrum arm 51 is fitted at its free end with an enlarged member 6| which acts to engage the edge of one of the bits 46 for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

in operation of the present invention the structure is assembled as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing and is secured to a cable l6. Before the device 'is lowered into the well bore'the closure 26 is in the position shown in Fig. 3 and the latch spring 33 is in the position shown in that figure with the free end of the springseated against time member 45 of the stop bar 36. When in this position it will be recognized that the trip rod 31 ls/in its uppermost position and that the end 43 of the lever 4| is in its downwardly swung position. In order to latch the closure v26 the tool 53 is positioned with the latch arm 56 extending upwardly through the opening 25 inthe seat 24. As it is moved. upwardly it. will be recognized that the closure 26 will swing tothe posi- When it is desired to entrap material within the chamber 23 of the barrel 22 slack. is suddenly let in the-cable I6 after the barrel has been allowed to rest on the bottom of the drilled hole. When this takes place the link I3 will fall forcibly so that its hammer 2| will strike the end 43 of thelever 4|, swinging the free end oi the lever in a counter direction to that indicated by the arrow e and at this time drawing the trip rod 31 and the latch spring 33 upwardly from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that indicated in Fig. 3. In view of the fact that the closure 26 is hinged cit-center, the closure will swing by gravity from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 3 and the material present in the chamber 23 of the barrel 22 will be entrapped so that the structure may be drawn from the well bore and emptied. The device maythen be re-set and ready for further use. 'It will be evident that in the event the material within the chamber 23 of the barrel tends to prevent the closure 25 from swinging to its closed position by gravity that when the bailer is lifted the weight of the material will force the closure onto. its seat.

It will be seen that by the structure here disclosed simple and eifective. means are provided for drilling a well bore by the use of cable tools, and that in addition the movement and position of a closure ior a bailer barrel may be easily and positively controlled from the top of the well.

While I have shown the preferred form of my invention as now known to me, it will be understood that various changes may be madein combination, construction and arrangement of parts by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of my invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A bailer, comprising a tubular body, a link connection between said body and a supporting cable, an opening through the bottom of the body, a freely hinged closure trap within the body adapted to swing down over said opening to close the same, latch means for temporarily holding said closure in an open position, and means actuated by said linkage as manipulated by the cable to operate the latch and release the closure.

2. A mud trap drilling bit, comprising a tubular body, a link connection between said body and a supporting cable, an opening through the bottom of the body, a freely hinged closure trap within the body adapted to swing down over said opening to close the same, latch means for temporarily holding said closure in an open position, means actuated by said linkage as manipulated by the cable to operate the latch and release the closure,

and earth digging means carried at the lower end of said body.

3. A mud trap drilling bit, comprising a tubular body, a link connection between said body and a supporting cable, an opening through thebottom of the body, a freely hinged closure trap within the body adapted to swing down over said opening to close the same, latch means for temporarily holding said closure in an open position, means actuated by said linkage as manipulated by the cable to operate the latch and release the closure, and earth digging means carried at the lower end of said body, said digging means including a plurality of downwardly projecting wedge-like bits disposed around the circumference of the body at the lower end thereof and radially extending cutting blades positioned transversely of the lower end of said body.

ALVY K. FLYN'N. 

